My goldfish is sick.

Question

Sick fish   QUESTION: My goldfish is sick and I can't pinpoint the actual cause. I have read about the diseases and it sounds like there are so many she has I don't know what to do. I have three golsfish, the two males are completely fine, but the female is sick. About 2 weeks ago I noticed she had her fins down and clenched and she wasn't moving around much. Then a few days ago I noticed her front side fins had red on them and there was red around her mouth as well as a red bump with a what looks like a white center on her bottom lip. She wasn't closing her mouth, but it seemed like she was breathing through her mouth at a human pace. She just moved her lower lip up and down to breath, but never actually shut her mouth. A day or two after this her tail became slightly unclenched and I noticed she had what looked like finrot on the tail as well as a few other fins. I moved her into a separate tank. I read to add salt to the water to keep any parasites from sticking to her if there were any so I added some salt. She was fine the first night then the next day she was breathing fast and short. I thought maybe the salt was causing the breathing problem so i changed the water. Also in the salt water today I noticed white fuzz that looks like maybe mold. I do not know if it was a problem or if it was just uneated food that had fallen on her. She hasn't been eating. I bought Medi-gold food and put come in the tank, but she hasn't been eating.o do with this I don't know. She has lost some scales, only a few, but it might have something t Now I do not know what to do. If you can please help me I would really appreciate it. I do not want my fish to die if I can do something about it. I have attached a picture that I took this morning. Note i enhanced it so the problems could be seen easier.

ANSWER: Clarissa,
When you added the salt, did you dissolve it completely before adding it to the tank and how much salt did you add? What size tank is the main tank and what size is she in now? What are the levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and Ph? These are very important for me to help you help her. I need as much information as you can give me. She could have been burned from the salt, but she could also be suffering from ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning. Let me know, as soon as you can, what the levels are, how often do you do water changes, and how much water you are changing.

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QUESTION: Her usual tank is 5 gallons. I put her in a 1 gallon as her hospital tank. I only added 1/2 teaspoon and yes i dissolved it. As far as the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and Ph I have no idea. I don't know how to find these things out. Today though she has more of the white stuff that looks like mold on her. Its mainly on her head around her mouth and covering her eyes.

ANSWER: Clarissa,
The 5 gallon tank is way too small for a goldfish. To house it correctly, 1 goldfish can be in a tank no smaller than 20 gallons, with a filter made for a larger tank. Goldfish are very heavy waste producers and need a very good filtration system. In that size of tank, your goldfish's growth will be stunted. Some people think that a fish will only grow to the size of their tank, and that is true for the skeletal structure. All the internal organs, however, will continue to grow, cutting their life span very short, and causing a very painful death. Water changes have do be done weekly by removing 25% of the water, using a gravel vacuum, and replacing it with clean conditioned water. Every fish keeper needs a liquid testing kit. I believe your fish is suffering from ammonia and nitrite poisoning. You really have to take care of the fish by giving them the right home, food, and care. Sounds like she has a fungal infection as well, and there are many products on the market that will help with that, just make sure to follow the directions on the packaging. Unless you get the goldfish a new home, you will continue to have problems.

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QUESTION: When I got the fish the person at petsmart said they each need 2 gallons by themselves. I've had this particular fish for 2 years. My mom has goldfish that is about 14 years old who is in his own 5 gallon tank. I put drops in the water of my tank when I change the water that is supposed to stabilize the water. For the fungus is using kanamycin a good choice. How would I take care of the ammonia and nitrite? Also if it was the water why are none of the other fish sick?

Answer
Petsmart, unfortunately, know very little about the fish they sell. # goldfish cannot live in a 5 gallon tank. The absolute minimum tank size for 3 goldfish is 40 gallons. Most people say 1 goldfish needs 20 gallons and 10 gallons for every goldfish added. But there are a lot of people that say absolute minimum is 30 gallons per goldfish some say even bigger tanks. I have added websites that explain this for you. The fastest way to get the ammonia and nitrites down are water changes. Depending on the levels, the water change will be 25-50%. You will need to have a water testing kit. It is very important to research the fish you want to keep so that you make sure the aquarium is the right size and set up properly. Did you cycle the tank before you added the fish?



http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php?topic=21416.0
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/goldfish/62319-min-tank-size-1-goldfish.html
http://www.careofgoldfish.com/tank-size-for-goldfish-aquarium.html
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+1922&aid=2650
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_74/goldfish-size-life-expectancy.htm